Automatic musical instrument.



W. D. WAMSLEY.

AUTOMATIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENT. lAPPLlcATloN FILED Dc.ao. 1916.

1,275,509 Patented Aug. 13, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

' Inl/autor: Wyne Wamszqy, C744" 72 um? 1n: naam: rzrms m, ruomurna.. uusumorun. n. c,

W. D. WAMSLEYI AUTOMATIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENT. APPLICATION FILED umso. 191s.

1,275,509. T Patemd Aug. 13,1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- UNITED STATES PATENT AFFICE.

WAYNEV I). WAMSLEY, 0F LESTER, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO LESTER PIANO COMPANY, A CORPORATION 0F PENNSYLVANIA.

AUTOMATIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

Application filed December 30,1916. Serial No. 139,875.

To allf'wltom t may concern.'

Be it known that Ii, WAYNE D. WAMSLEY, a citizen of the United States, residingat Lester, Delaware county, Pennsylvania, have invented ncertain Improvements in Automatic'Musical Instruments, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to automatic musical41V instruments, particularly pianos, which are pneumatically operatedunder control of a perforated" music sheet, and the primary object of the invention is to effect' the automatic reversal ofthe rolling mechanism when thesheet has been played through and to stop vthe operation when complete rerollin has been effected.

n the .practice of my invention, in its preferred form, the usual mechanism for controlling the operations of the rolls which carry the perforated music sheet is connectedl` with a pneumatic so as to bel operated thereby through its connection withV the atmosphereand the vacuum system under'control of valves 'and the music sheet, the pneumatic beingcoimected with a switchl adapted foropening the circuit of the electric motor which maybe used for operating the pumping apparatus by which the rolls areoperi l ated.

The mechanism illustrated in the-drawi l *ings4 comprises the piano 1 equipped in a y known manner, with an electric motor 2 pro- H5v vided with! a pulley?) whichdrives a belt ,4, and with awheel 5 driven by the belt and -fixed on the crank shaft6, which operates the connecting rods 7 and 8 for working the pumps 9 and 10 and. exhausting the pneumatic system 11, the` latter also being exhausted by the'pumpsY 12 andf 13 operated by thel pedals 141andz15.

The motor mechanism 16, for driving the ,rolls17and 18V which .carry the music sheet 19, is positively connected with the respective rolls alternately by the usual mecha- Specification of Letters Patent.V

Patented Aug. 13, 1,918.

nism 20- comprising the manually operatedv lever 21.

In accordance with my invention, in a preferred form thereof, a rod 22 is connected with the lever 21 and is movable longitudinally through its supporting bearing 23, the rod having the collars 24 and 25 fixed adjustably thereon. A rod 26 is connected at one end with a switch 27 in the circuit 28 ofthe motor 2, is provided at the other end with a loop 29 surrounding the rod 22 in position tobe engaged by the collar 25 to close the switch, and is further provided with the linger' 30 in position to be engaged by the arm or lug 31 on the bellows 32, which is adapted to be collapsed to shift the rod 22 and reverse the roll'operating mechanism by the engagement ofthe arm 31 with the collar 24, and to open the switch by subsequently engaging the finger 30 when the collar 24-has been removed therefrom.

The bellows 32 communicates by a port 33 with a chamber 34 of'a boX 35 containing" the further chambers 36 and 37.` The chamber 34` communicates with the atmosphere by the port 38 controlled by a valve 39, the chambers 34 and 36 vcommunicateby a port 40 controlled by a valve 41, the chambers 36 and 37 communicate by a restricted port 427 andthe valves 39 and 41 are carried bya rod'43 provided with a button 44 which is connected with a diaphragm 45 located between the chambers 36 and 37. The chamber 36 is connected withl the vacuum chest 11 of the pneumatic system 11 by a conduit 11 and the cliamber 37 is connected" with the tracker bar 45 by a conduit 46, the

y' tracker bar being provided with the opening V47 over which runs the. edge'of the music sheet 19, the latter containing the aperture 48adapted to register with such tracker bar ropening when the sheet has. been played through. Y v

In operation, the parts' are in the relation `shown in Fig. 3, while playing. But when the aperture 48 of' the music sheet 19 registers with the aperture 47 ofthe tracker bar, after the sheet has been played through, a rush of air through the exhaustedy conduit 46, into'the chamber 37 lifts the diaphragm -45 and. operates the rod 43, which causes the valve 39 to close theportl 38 and the valve 41 toV open the port 40. The' bellows 32 is nowv exhausted (from the conduit 11 through the chamber 36, portl 40, chamber 34 and port 33) and collapses against the action' of the spring 49. The collapse of the bellows 32 shifts the rod 22 in the direction of the arrow, by the contact of the arm 3lwith the collar 24 and the lever 21 is thereby reversed, making the rerolling connection between themotor 16 and the roll 18, in the usual manner. It will be understood that in this movement of the arm 31 it clears bellows 32 is thereby released, by the admission of air thereto, and opened by the spring 49, the arm 31 moving back from the collar 24 and pastthe finger 30, which now drops into position for engagement by the arm 81. vVhen the rerolling has been effected, the end of the sheet 19 passes the aperture 47 in the tracker bar and the bellows 32 is again collapsed, as previously described, the arm 31 acting through the finger 30 on the rod 26 to open the switch 27 and break the circuit 28, thereby stopping the motor.

IV hen it is desired to start the mechanism, the lever 21 is shifted back to the position shown in Fig. 3 and the consequent move- Yment of the rod 22 causes the collar 25 to act on the loop 29 and close the switch 27, thereby restarting the mechanism.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. In an automatic musical instrument, the combination of a music sheet, means for feeding and rerolling said Vmusic sheet, motor mechanismY comprising an electric vcircuit containing a controlling device for operating said means, mechanism for connecting said motor mechanism alternately with said feeding and rerolling means, a pneumatic controlled by said music sheet7 and mechanism operated by said pneumatic for operating said mechanism second named and said controlling device alternately.

2. In an automatic musical instrument,

the combination of a music sheet, means for 4 feeding and rerolling said music sheet,

motor mechanism comprising a circuit having a controlling device for operating s aid means, clutching mechanism for connecting said motor mechanism alternately with said feeding and rerolling means, a pneumatic controlled by said music sheet, and means engaged and operated by said pneumatic for operating said clutching mechanism to effect rerolling and thereafter said controlling device to open said circuit.

vCopiesiof this patent may be obtained for 3. In an automatic musical instrument, the combination of a music sheet, means for feeding and rerolling said music sheet, motor mechanism for operating said means and comprising a circuit containing switching mechanism, clutching mechanism for connecting said motor mechanism alternately with said feeding and rerolling means, and a pneumatic having a device which on one movement thereof engages and operates said clutching mechanism and on a second movement thereof engages and operates said switching mechanism.

4. In an automatic musical instrument, the combination of a music sheet, means for feeding and rerolling said music sheet, motor Vmechanism for operating said means and comprising a circuit containing switching mechanism, clutching mechanism for connecting said motor mechanism y alternately with said feeding Vand rerolling means, and a pneumatic having a device for engaging and operating said clutching and switching mechanisms in succession,one of said last named mechanisms being held out y n motor having a circuit containing switching mechanism, and pneumatic means for operating said clutching and switching mechabeing held by the other out ofr operative" connection with said pneumatic means during an operation of thelatter.

6. In an automatic musical instrument, the combination of means for feeding and rerolling a music sheet, a pneumatic motorv for operating said means, clutching mechanism for alternately connecting said motor with said feeding and rerolling means,

fineans comprising an electric motor having a circuit containing a switch for operating said pneumatic motor, mechanism comprising a manually operated lever for'simultaneously closing said switch and clutchingjsaid motor and feeding means, and means comprising a pneumatic controlled by said means second named and said music sheet for effecting the clutching of said pneumatic motor with said rerolling means and thereafter opening said switch.` p In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my name this 28th day of December, 1916.

, Y WAYNE D. WAMSLEY.

ve cents each, ty addressing the Commissioner of rgtr'ents,

Washington, D. C.

nisms, one of saidmechanisms last named 

